Orochi, The Eight-Headed Dragon Review by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courtney McAllister.

 

This 1994 kaiju epic flopped, both in Japan and in the USA, upon its initial release; despite being based (however loosely) on an ancient Japanese myth, and featuring numerous monsters, so that is surprising. It also surprises me, because because this high fantasy adventure is tons of fun.

 

The plot is a bit convoluted:

Twin princes are born, and an evil shaman convinces the emperor of Yamoto (Kenji Sahara) that the one named Ouso (Masahiro Takashima) is a bad omen. The emperor attempts to kill the baby, but the white bird of heaven intervenes, and saves the child’s life. Ouso is raised by his aunt (Keaki Mori), and as he grows up he discovers an ancient amulet that grants him mysterious powers, but only when necessary (he cannot just use it all the time). With this, he inadvertently kills his mom, and his twin brother attacks, whom Ouso is forced to kill in self defense. This causes the emperor of Yamoto to banish Ouso, who goes on a journey of redemption. This takes him to a shrine where he meets Oto (Yasuko Sawaguchi), a skilled warrior in her own right, and together they must stop a sacrifice to the magma-esque god Kumasogami. Then the travelling companions discover that an old and terrible evil, the titular beast Orochi is about to reawaken, and that he must be stopped at all costs. Can Ouso ever gain his father’s trust? What is the shaman’s endgame?

 

That above plot description leaves out a lot of the political backstabbing, and mythological trimmings. There is a lot going on- I didn’t even mention the important Sword Of X, made from scales of Orochi the first time it appeared- and the movie swiftly gets from point A to point B, leaving barely any connective tissue. For a journey/ quest type narrative, there are hardly any scenes of our leads on the road a la “Willow” or the “Lord Of The Rings” movies (obviously!). It usually goes something like this:

Conversation at shrine about sacrifice. Cut to next scene.

Leads are already at the palace gates, attempting to gain entrance under false pretenses.

 

And that is just one of many examples of this kind of shortcut. It does take a few moments to gather yourself after that, and get back into the film.

 

While discussing the negatives, the worst thing about the movie is Ouso himself, Masahiro Takashima. His face barely registers any emotions, so scenes like the death of his mother aren’t as resonant as they should be. His line delivery, especially discussing how he believes the amulet he has may contain a demon in it, is so flat and bland that drying paint might be far more expressive.

 

I realize that these faults are not insignificant, but “Orochi” gets so much else right, that they don’t bother me as much as they might others. First off, that lack of journeying on the road does mean the movie moves from one setpiece more or less straight into another at an incredible rate, so its never dull. There is always something happening- human vs. human swordfights, magic being wielded against literal gods, Ouso kind of transforming into a werewolf looking demon whenever he uses the amulet. It is always just brimming with interesting and imaginative visuals.

 

The designs of all the monsters/ creatures are beyond incredible, just downright stunning, especially considering how many different kinds there are-